Gasoline evaporation occurs in your vehicle when the engine is hot whether it’s running or not. Obviously nothing can be done about this when the car is on but parking in the shade can significantly lower the temperature of parked vehicles and thereby reduce the amount of volatile organic materials released into the air. So seek out your own private canopy and ask your boss, business or local shopping mall to consider planting shade trees if they havenâ€™t already. Shade trees increase property value, save customers on gas and save businesses on electric bills (if the shade extends to the building). Â Well shaded consumer areas also tend to encourage customers to spend more time and money at retail stores. Â Who knew shady could be so cool?

This time of year there are more great movies to see than time and money to see them all.Â If you’re checking out a flick this weekend, try bringing your own water in a reusable container.Â Bringing your own water will cut back on waste and save you money.Â If catching a movie just isn’t the same without a trip to the concession stand for you, opt for something in minimal-impact packaging, like a bag of popcorn or candy in a cardboard box that you can take home to recycle. Â Photograph by Sailko .

Here at green is sexy, we’re big fans of showing others what you can do toÂ reduce your impact on the environment, not telling others what they’re doing “wrong”.Â We’ve found that the best way to get the people around us to jump on the green train is to simply show them what we’re doing to make a difference.Â Try it yourself!Â The next time someone offers you a bottle of water, lift up your reusable bottle and say, “I brought my own, thanks!”.Â Arriving at book club with snacks tucked into a cute, reusable grocery bag will show your pals that you never leave home without one.Â Washing and drying yourÂ own lunch dishes will almost certainly start a conversation at the office about your refusal toÂ use five disposable containers a weekÂ and dropping your dead batteries off for recycling the next time you brunch at the Farmers Market will show ‘em who’s green.Â When your friends and family see how easy it is for you to live your life greenly, they’re sure to adopt at least one of your habits.

It seems like the cardio trend of the moment is Spinning — the high-energy stationary bike classes that kick your ass and burn 500+ calories per session.Â If you’re into spinning, ask your gym to consider installing Green Revolution energy generators and monitors on its Spinner bikes.Â Why?Â Green Revolution’s technology helpsÂ harness all of the human energy expended on the bikes and turns it into real, cleanÂ energy that can be used to power the lights and other electrical systems.Â A recent article in the New York Times suggests that if the eight million people living in Manhattan worked out on a Spinner bike attached to the electric grid,Â they could generate 60 million Kilowatts of electricity per hour. Each month, enough electricity would be generated to power more than 45 million homes, and the reduction in carbon emissions is like taking 34 thousands cars of the road each month.Â Awesome!Â Imagine a world where working out benefitted your body, your mind and your planet.Â Now that’s sexy. Thanks to Kathleen Maloney for suggesting this tip!

It’s car wash season! While you might think a carwash outside in your driveway can be a fun activity (especially since you can pretend you’re in a music video), we’re here to tell you (sadly enough) that washing your car in your driveway is actually one of the most environmentally unfriendly chores you can do. You will use 80 – 140 gallons of water and after it hits your grease-oil-infused driveway, it will probably run straight into the storm drains without being treated in a sewage center.

Reducing the amount of meat you eat in a week can have a big Environmental impact. According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the production of one calorie of animal protein requires more than ten times the fossil fuel input as a calorie of plant protein. In fact, more than 1/3 of all fossil fuels produced in the United States go toward animal agriculture.

Walking is said to be the absolute best exercise of all time. You can stop to smell the roses, feel more connected to your neighborhood or just spy on your neighbors. It costs less than a bike or a bus pass